Station-indicator.



W. P. DUNLAP.

STATION INDICATOR.-

APPLICATION FILED APR- 1, 1915.

1,178,303. Patented Apr. 4,1916.

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W. P. DUNLAP.

STATION INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 1. 1515.

I MIIEHQQEI R Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

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1 To all whom it may concern:

WILLIAM, P. DUNLAP, 0F IVIAQUOKETA, IOWA.

STATION-INDICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

Application filed April 1, 1915. Serial No. 18,509.

Be it known that I, l/VELIAM P. DUNLAP, a citizen of the United States,residing at Maquoketa, in the county of Jackson and State of Iowa, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Station-Indicators; andI do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in legend displaying devices, suchfor instance as those used in indicating the names of stations along arailway. The present application, however, relates more particularly tothe operating means for practically any preferred type of indicatingmachine.

The main object of the invention is to provide such operating mechanismemploying but two movable parts, namely a reciprocatory operating rod,and an oscillatory lever for actuating the same, the lever beingoscillated at intervals by a plurality of trips disposed along thetrack.

A further object'is to so construct the actuating lever. as to allow itslower end to be shifted upwardly out of the path of the trips, in caseit is necessary to prevent the lever from being operated.

Yet another object is to provide novel means whereby, although a pair ofindicating machines are employed, but one of said machines may beoperated if desired.

' With the foregoing objects in view, the invention resides in certainnovel features of construction and combination hereinafter described andparticularly pointed out in the claims. In describing the invention, Ishall refer to the accompanying drawings wherein like referencecharacters designate corresponding parts throughout the various views,and wherein;

v Figure 1 is a side elevation of a trolley car with parts thereofbroken away, showing the application of the inventionto use; Fig. 2 is avertical. transverse section through a part of a car equipped with theinvention, Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 1,,but show ing on anenlarged scale one of the indioat-l ing devices and the operating meanstherefor, a portion of the casing of this indicator being broken away todisplay more particu- .larly the apron therein upon which the names ofthe various stations are inscribed; Fig. 4. is a view similar to Fig. 3but illustrating the manner in which one end of the operating rods maybe disposed to inactive position; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of theoperating rod and the lever connected there to, the lower end of thelatter being disposed to inactive position; Fig. 6 is a perspective viewof the lower end of the lever illustratmgthe same swung downwardly toactive position; and Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic plan view-0f a portion ofa railway showing another manner in which the trips thereon may bedisposed. y

In these drawings, constituting a part of the application, a trolley car0 is shown as equipped with the usual wheels W which travel upon therails R, the car being provided with any preferred means of propulsion.Disposed one at each end of the car 0 in the top thereof, is a pair oflegend displaying devices 1 which are considered in the present case asbeing in the form of station indicators, each of these indicatorsincluding a casing 2 which is secured to the car, upper and lower reels3 and 4 disposed in said casings and operatively connected by anypreferred means, an apron 5 wound upon said reels and carrying the namesof the various stations, and a toothed operating wheel 6 which is keyedto the shaft of the upper reel 8, whereby partial rotation of the wheels6 by means yet tobe described, will remove the name of the station justpassed from view, and will display that of the station being approached.This operation takes place simultaneously in both ends of the car, undernormal conditions, although the indicator at one end'thereof may bethrown out of action if desired, by construction to be hereinafterexplained. Although the devices -1 are considered in the presentapplication as being station inclicators as above set forth, it will beevident that they might be practically any type of legend displayingdevices, such for instance as machines for displaying differentadvertisements successively as the various stations are passed.Furthermore, these devices may be equipped with aprons 5 abovedescribed, or may include card or sign dropping mecha nism to besuccessively operated.

Disposed longitudinally within the top of the car C is a horizontalreciprocatory rod 7 which is here shown as formed of a trio of sections,the two endmost sections 8 being pivotally connected at 9 to the centralsection 10 and being designed at their outer ends to provide dogs 11which engage the toothed operating wheel 6 of the indicators 1. It willthus be evident that when the rod 7 is shifted in one direction, one ofthese indicators will be operated, while the return of said rod tonormal position will now 0perate the other indicator and, since thisshifting takes place immediately after passing one station, the name ofthat being ap' proached is displayed to the occupants of the car.

For the purpose of intermittently reciprocating the rod 7 an uprightoperating lever 12; is provided, this lever being shown in the presentcase as disposed at one side of the car, as is likewise the rod 7. Thelever 12; is fulcrumed between its ends at 13 to an appropriate partofthe car, is pivotally connected at its upper end to the intermediateportion of the central rod section 10. as seen at 1 1, and is providedwith a vertically shiftable lower end 15. which normally projeetsbeneath the. car in the path of a plurality of trips 16 disposeddirectly inside of one of; the rails B, it being therefore evident thatas the car is propelled over the railway, the. end 15 of; the, leverwill strike the trips 16, thus oscillating said lever and changing thelegends displayed by the indicating machines 1, it beingunderstood thatthe trips 16 are disposed at proper points in relation to the. numerousstations,

It often happens that it is. desirous to run a ca ons ailway, it o crrying passengers thereon, in which case it is useless to operate theindicators 1. The upwardly shiftable, lower end 15. of the lever 12 maythen be moved upwardly to inactive position as, shown in Fig. 5., thusdisposing it at such a point as to prevent contact with the trip 16.Although, any preferred type of upwardly shiftable lower end could beprovided on the lever 12, this end is preferably in the form of; a, barpivoted between its, ends at 17 to said lever, said bar being normallyswung to. an upright position and embraced by a sleeve 18, whi h isslidable on the lever 12 as shown in Fig. 6. When, however, it isnecessary to. dispose the bar 15 to inactive position, the sleeve 18 israised and said bar is swung to a horizontal position, whereupon thesleeve 18 is shifted downwardly on the. lever into contact with theupper edge of said bar as shown in Fig. 5 It will thus be seen that thebar will be held its adjusted position and that it is impossible for thelever to be oscillated by the trips, 16.

It also becomes expedient, when the device is employed with certaintypes of cars, to provide means whereby but one. of the indicators 1will be actuated, this device being preferably the one at the front endof the car, since operation of that in the rear end thereof, would bepractically useless. In order to prevent the rod 7 from actuating bothof these indicators, a pair of shiftable levers 19 are preferablyprovided for raising and lowering the two end sections 8 of said rod, itbeing evident that such levers may be of any preferred construction foraccomplishing the best results. Furthermore, it will be evident that anyother type of shiftable member could well be provided for accomplishingthe desired end, such details being unimportant.

In the foregoing I have mentioned a p ra ty o ips 16, and. although suchtripsv may be of any preferred; formatiomthey are. preferably in theform of metal blocks having notches 16" in Which the rails R; rest. Bythis constructi n, the rips. are. rigidly held. in their properpositions to. he engaged by the lower end of the. lever 12-. It will beeviden hc wver, that should it he. @lesirable to dispose this lever atthe center of the car rather than. at ne ide th reo the trip. blocksmust nece ari y be d sposed, at the center of; h railway as. seen. at;

n F g, 7 h ch. p i i n th y are rigid y se ured y stakes o the ke l6. diven her through and int he road b d- N odless t say, howev r, I do notwish to. b limited. to the spec fic constr ction o th trip blocks, ortoany one positioning there. i

f, nce su h at r s are imme or al,

From th rego ng d script on, t ken i conne ti n w h he accompanyingraw-v ings, it will be vident that a though on tromoly Simplenstruction, has been pro-- vid d: f r carry ns ut the ohje ts f thvention, the same will be, very efficient in operat n an W l; Possess. aumber o hly adv t geo s featu es.

1. The com na o with a railw y o f. a recipr cat ry rod disposedlongitude na ly in the top horeot a pr ht o oil letory aotua ng lover pot l y connected to said rod hav ng itso mit disp ed ben ath the o r; rp ndep ndent f the ca n di posed th path i he lower end; f th overs. enda eg nd d splayi s e i e inter it ently ctuated by th a r sa d oo prooetrv od- 2- T e mb ation ith a ra lway can o a r pr atorv od d po edIonsitudt nally in the top thereof, an upright oscils latoryactuatinglever piyotally connected to he. intermediate p rt on. of saidro nd. ha g it ower end: disposed beneath th o r, tr ps. nd p n e o thoer di p s d n the Path. of he ow r end f the over; nd. a P irf genddispl yi g ev c s ct ated in r it nt y by. the af re aid c p oca i n od;i p s n et a h ne; there f.

3-. Th com nation w h a railway ar, of a reciprocatory rod disposedlongitudt, nal y n t e op ther of and ter of a trio of pivotallyconnected sections, an upright oscillatory actuating lever pivoted tothe central section of the rod and having its lower end extended belowthe car, trips independent of the car and disposed in the path of thelOWer end of the lever, and a pair of legend displaying devices disposedone at the outer end of each of the end sections of the rod andintermittently actuated thereby.

4. The combination with a railway car, of a reciprocatory rod disposedlongitudinally in the top thereof and formed of a trio of pivotallyconnected sections, an upright oscillatory actuating lever pivoted tothe central section of the rod and having its lower end extended belowthe car, trips Copies of this patent may be obtained for five centseach, by addressing the independent of the car and disposed in the pathof the lower end of the lever, a pair of legend displaying devicesdisposed one at the outer end of each of the endmost rod sections andhaving toothed operating wheels engaged thereby, and a shiftable memberfor disengaging one of said endmost rod sections from its respectiveoperating wheel.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of tWosubscribing Witnesses.

WILLIAM P. DUNLAP. Witnesses:

THOMAS J. LANCASTER, DAVIS R. REYNOLDS.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

